Aphalara itadori

A well-balanced article about the biological control of Japanese knotweed was published today in a British newspaper. Most articles about the release of the Japanese knotweed psyllid (Aphalara itadori, pictured) that appeared last year were either dismissive of the idea of releasing a non-native insect to combat another non-native species, often on the grounds that the selected agents will also damage native species. Or the articles just copied bits of press statements.